March 31, 2010

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There is little that the RNC can do to excuse the $2,000 reimbursement at a bondage club, but party officials are clearly tired of the line of attack that Chairman Michael Steele is living high on the hog as he travels across the country.

RNC spokesman Doug Heye just blasted out raw oppo detailing the fact that the other guys also drop some cash for fancy purposes (mostly to stroke donors).

Writes Heye above the research goodies: "I thought you might find the list below of DNC expenditures of interest."

"The RNC got in trouble not because it was doing traditional fundraising at hotels, or holding meetings at hotels, — and we’ve never raised that issue. They got in trouble with their donors because they are spending more money than they are raising (deficit spending is a pattern with Republicans) and because they are doing so in part at sex clubs. If Republicans want to compare our ordinary spending to their spending and allow us to say Michael Steele approved spending money at a Hollywood sex club a few more times — that’s fine with us."

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Apparently every one of these items was and is available via a simple search on the FEC web site. And yet Politico has been running stories about the RNC expenditures for days without even thinking of peeking in on the DNC. What, are all the investigative journalists working for the RNC now?

First, I don't see any expense on the list that has to do with attending a club for "bondage" fans...however, that aside, is this how the Republican Party justifies ****ing away money given to it by donors....following the DNC's lead...That is a "crazy" justification...someone should be fired..I, as a donor, expect more from the RNC....get your f$^%^king act together!

Posted By: They do it so we should do it to? | March 31, 2010 at 01:39 PM

Why is the only GOP response to anything these days is "someone else does it too." Most of us quit using that one when we were about six.
And quite laughable that they tout themselves as fiscal conservatives.

Somehow, spending money at the restaurant at Mount Vernon (for out of towners, this is the popular Virginia historic site and museum that includes George Washington's actual home, garden, and grounds on the Potomac) isn't quite as eye-catching as spending money at a sex-themed bondage club. At least to me. Maybe it's all the same to the RNC.

For the smug Dems, there are several "clubs" listed in the document above - unless you are aware of the "business" conducted at those clubs, don't assume they are all IHOP family restaurants - secondly, the point the RNC is making is that both parties spend a significant amount of fundraising dollars in the smoozing of donors to get more fundraising dollars, just as lots of charities do and others who rely on the generosity of others. There both spending way too much money on themselves, another good reason not to have elections publically funded.

All this looks like to me is good marketing. Yeah, the DNC probably treats its donors and consultants very nicely. At a time when the DNC is finally outpacing the RNC, who had the historical advantage, in fundraising, are you really going to question their marketing expenditures?
For the record, while I don't think the RNC thing is a big deal either, it's clear that the RNC isn't doing a good job of turning their expenditures into more profit while the DNC is.
As for whether or not it's "right" to spend the money this way, i'm not sure, but apparently it works.
That all being said, I don't see anything that even resembles something morally questionable here.

Yeah they both waste money & I’m all for public funding, but S&M clubs come on they deserve all the bad press they get for this stupid mistake. Their all hypocrite’s family values, gays shouldn’t be treated equally & what do they do? Waste donor money on sex clubs & actually make a mockery of marriage by cheating with every secretary they can find.

Some enterprising intern at Politico (if stories on Huffpo are accurate, only interns remain at Politico) should look into how many adult movies GOPpers rented whilst at these high end hotels. I suspect that the average GOPper would be more interested in that than in the family values stuff.

Posted By: Some enterprising intern at Politico (if stories on Huffpo are accurate, only interns remain at Poli | March 31, 2010 at 02:23 PM

Who says there are no S&M parlor charges in there?
Just look at what happened in Nancy Pelosi's house over a week ago.
Too bad the taxpayers got stuck with most of the bill for Stupak's prostitution, the Lousiana Purchase, the Cornhusker Kickback, and more.
Where can I send that bill to the DNC?

Ben/Jonathan:
Please ask your republican buddy why the republicans get to go to strip clubs, and pay hookers and prostitutes (and pay for diapers), not to mention the private jets that RNC Chairman Steele and Republican Senators Vitter and Ensign use, but the democrats don't?
I don't think it is fair. The RNC should lend the DNC some $$$ so that the DNC can use go to strip clubs and visit prostitutes and fly in private jets.
Ben, please let us know what your republican buddy says.

The Cornhusker Kickback and Louisiana Purchase were removed from the healthcare legislation with the reconciliation vote that you and the rest of your party voted against last week. It's truly pathetic how willfully ignorant Republicans are.

Taking out the Cornhusker kickback and Louisiana Purchase doesn't mean the S&M parlor was not operating. It just covers it up after the fact.
Will Dumocrats excuse the RNC if the charges arebreversed? I didn't think so.
It's truly pathetic how willfully ignorant and unethical Democrats are!!

Yes, at least the DNC has the character to use their funds for real political events! Unlike the RNC who engages in moral turpitude and depravity with their funds by using it to ogle strippers and hold lesbian bondage parties.

You know if the republicans like lesbians so much, why do they have such a problem with gay marriage? Just more hypocrisy I recon...

To O's nightmare, You would represent the nightmare of the far right wingnuts who instead of accepting responsibility resort to lies and false accusations. When will you ever learn that it just doesn't work like that, when will you admit that you republicans are NOT the party of family values. You accuse Stupak of prostituting himself out, nothing could be further from the truth. I see a man who stood his ground and put his family values first, this is someone that you republicans could learn family values from, a democrat no less. The only thing I never understood about Stupak is that is has been law for 30 years that you cannot use federal money for abortions. At least Stupak stood up for ALL Americans, and now all will have the ability to purchase health insurance. The real prositutes wer republicans Boehner and Cantor when they sold the republican party to wall street, promising to vote against wall street reform in return for donations of money. The republicans are scraping the bottom of the barrow, the filth and crud are surfacing now!!!

Posted By: To O's nightmare, You would represent the nightmare of the far right wingnuts who instead of accep | March 31, 2010 at 05:02 PM

13K at Lucky Strike? good gracious what were they serving GOLD? This is beyond silly on both sides but the bottom line is these National Organizations and their employees are living quite high off the hog of small donors who give their money to get likeminded politicians elected. This really does argue for giving your money DIRECTLY to the candidate!

I am more offended by Michael Steele's penchant for living like some potentate - spending millions on private jets and fancy hotels - than I am at the measly $2 thousand spent at the creepy sex club. Yeah, that was bad, but so was the over the top lavious spending by Steele and his fellow party animals. Fly commercial like the ordinary people. It will help the airline industry and save the RNC a pretty penny.

Wow, hotels and caterers and limos.....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
I would remind Republicans that the people who have issues with how the RNC spends their funds are Republicans who donate money to the RNC.
And "they do/did it too" never works...even when you are 5 years old.

these kind of articles prove just another example of the immature tit for tat that goes on in politics and how supposed reputable news organizations feed into it. Instead of the RNC Chairman, who otherwise jumps at every opportunity to flash his face in front of the camera, coming out and speaking about it directly, he hides likes a coward. To boot, he fires ONE 24 year old employee - who I'm sure had zero say in approving any expenditures.
The Republican party is no more fiscally responsible than the Democrats. And they certainly are no more moral. Take your licks, quit the tit for tat, and move on. Nothing like a good dose of hypocrisy!

HAHAHAHA ... and the Teabaggers REALLY think the GOP are fiscally responsible ... HAHAHA
Off the top of my head here
1. RNC spent $17 Million for private jets
2. RNC spent $12 Million on limos
3. RNC spent 2000.00 at a Lesbian joint
4. GOP Todd Tiahrt who claims to be a "deficit hawk" used $2 Million of tax payer money - YES, $2 Million of Tax Payer MONEY to INCREASE his employee's pay by $2 Million dollars.
5. W came in office with a surplus and
left office with a $10.7 TRILLION dollar debt
6. W increased government more than any president in the history of this country.
... HAHAHAHAHA ... yet those frauds are still claiming to be "fiscal conservatives" HAHAHAHA .. yeah, sure and martians are going to land tomorrow at noon.

Ordinary Spending? Let's see - economy sucks, unemployment 10 percent, democrats living it up in luxury hotels, riding around in limos, all with someone elses money. Ordinary spending for elitist snobs!

How many of these were mischaracterized as office supplies. If an average person lied to the federal government, we would be likely prosecuted. If the data were sent to the FEC over the internet or through the mail, is this mail or wire fraud? Why do we, in this land where we value the rule of law, see an inquiry on this systematic effort to lie to the American People.